Centrifugal slurry pumps typically comprise a pump liner (also known as a volute), which is surrounded by an exterior casing structure. The pump liner includes a pumping chamber therein in which is disposed an impeller mounted for rotation on an impeller shaft. The impeller shaft enters the pumping chamber from the rear side, or drive side, of the exterior casing structure. A discharge outlet extends tangentially from the periphery of the casing structure and provides for the discharge of fluid from the pump chamber.
The pump liner can be typically moulded from a wear resisting elastomer compound. In this form, the outer casing fitted with a respective pump liner are traditionally manufactured in two parts, or halves, held together with bolts at the periphery of the casing. The two parts join along a plane which is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the pump impeller.
The elastomer compound selected for the manufacture of the pump liner is typically chosen due to its effectiveness in resisting the wear mechanisms associated with pumping slurries in centrifugal pumps. However such wear mechanisms can include abrasion, erosion, impingement and directional wear, and so a specific elastomer compound chosen may not be effective in resisting each one of the various types of wear mechanisms.